1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a gaming machine and a game control method thereof, whereby a common game such as a craps game is run in a plurality of gaming terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known gaming machine as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,700, 6,077,162, 6,375,568, and 6,312,332 includes a plurality of gaming terminals, terminal controllers each of which is provided to a gaming terminal and causes the gaming terminal to run a game, and a center controller which controls each terminal controller. Such a gaming machine has a function which enables a game involving a jackpot to be run as a common game in the gaming terminals and distributes a jackpot payout to a plurality of players, in addition to a function which allows a base game to be run individually at the gaming terminals.
Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,656,040, 7,458,891, 7,452,273, 5,823,879, and WO 2005/109121 each disclose a structure which allows a common game such as craps game to be run in a synchronous manner at each gaming terminal. In addition, Japanese Patent Publication 2007-130296 discloses a structure where game results of a predetermined count of games are determined in advance, and the predetermined count of games are consecutively run as one set, while effects for one set are being executed.
Accordingly, a known gaming machine possesses an entertainment characteristic which allows a plurality of players to play one common game, in addition to an entertainment characteristic which allows the players to individually play a base game. Further, a know gaming machine consecutively runs a plurality of games as one set while executing one set of effects to expand a level of freedom in the entertainment characteristic. Thus, how to run a common game at each gaming terminal has traditionally been an important element of improving the entertainment characteristic in the gaming machine having a plurality of gaming terminals.
The object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine having a function of running a common game capable of realizing a high entertainment characteristic, and a game control method.